Travel Lessons Learned
In 2019, my wife and I embarked on an adventure to Portugal to celebrate our new home. Little did we know that our first day would turn into a crash course in what not to do while traveling. Note to all future European travelers: avoid early morning arrivals at all costs.
We landed in Portugal with bleary eyes, thanks to an overnight flight. Naturally, our hotel room wasn't ready until much later in the afternoon. So, off we went, hauling our luggage to a storage facility and catching a train into Lisbon. Our goal? To conquer Castle St. Jorge, as avid castle enthusiasts.
Now, picture this: jet-lagged travelers, wandering aimlessly through a foreign city. The views from the castle were breathtaking, but our tired souls were in desperate need of rest, not adventure. To make matters worse, check-in at our hotel wasn't until 4 pm, and they wouldn't let us store our luggage there. Brilliant.
After our castle escapade, we sought solace in food. I opted for a trusty pizza, while my vegan wife stumbled upon a vegan restaurant serving a delightful vegan bowl. As we sat there, minding our own business, a man materialized out of thin air, offering us a dubious blend of herbs and spices that he claimed was marijuana. Now, I'm all for exploring new cultures, but we quickly dismissed him as a cunning scam artist. Turns out, even in a country where buying marijuana is legal, tourist traps abound.
Exhausted and somewhat disillusioned, we made our way back to the airport to retrieve our luggage before heading to our "hotel." This place turned out to be a not-so-charming establishment where multiple couples crammed into cramped quarters, sharing a single bathroom. Not exactly our idea of a dream vacation.
To reach our hotel room, we had to ascend a flight of stairs. One fateful day, as my wife swung open the door, a scream of epic proportions assaulted our senses. Lo and behold, a man had chosen that exact moment to paint the stairwell. Now, he didn't bother with any warning signs or cautionary signals, and his can of paint was precariously perched at the top. Well, as you can probably guess, gravity worked its magic, and the paint can descended upon the stairs and the unfortunate painter himself. We felt a pang of guilt, but really, who was to blame? No sign, no warning – his mistake, plain and simple. He quickly realized that and redirected his anger accordingly.
The moral of our story is simple: choose your accommodations wisely. For just a few extra dollars, you could find a place that transforms your stay from a cramped nightmare to a blissful retreat. So, future travelers, learn from our misadventures and invest in your comfort and sanity. Happy travels!